How Do I Remove Old Paint From Terra Cotta Pots & Plaques?

I Want To Repaint Some Of My Terra Cotta Pots, But Need To Remove The Old Paint First.

I received an email from Sheila asking:

Hello from England, I have some terracotta plaques and pots that have already been painted. I wish to repaint them, but need to remove the old paint first. Can you suggest what I can use to remove the old paints from the pots and plaques. Look forward to hearing from you.

My reply:

Hi Sheila from England 🙂

Thank you for contacting me and I hope I can be of some help.

To remove the old paint, I would try any or all of the following. But first I will say, if the old paint is adhering really well to the terra cotta (no peeling or bubbling, as examples), I personally would paint right over the existing paint. Why? Because obviously the old paint is “sticking” extremely well and then serves as a great base coat!

Since I have no idea of the old colors or the new colors you wish to use … if the old paint is sticking well, but maybe too dark for your new colors, then just paint on a neutral color coat first.

However, if your terra cotta pot has peeling paint and such, then I would try the following: first I’d try using a coarse sand paper to gently sand off all the paint that was possible. (This may be a slow process.) Whatever paint just doesn’t seem to want to come off … I’d leave well enough alone. If it’s stuck that good, well let it stay and paint over it!

Try using a putty knife with a 1-inch wide (give or take–just not so wide as to be hard to use) blade to try and scrap off the paint.

The other thing you can try is to soak your tera cotta pots and plaques in water for at least 24 hours. Then see if you are able to peel away, or gently scrap off the paint. I don’t know how well the pots were primed, etc. in the first place, so possibly they will start to peel after being soaked for a good amount of time.

I would NOT use any liquid or gel paint remover. I am sure you’ve already figured this one out, but I’ll mention it just in case you might be thinking of doing this. The terra cotta is porous and will end up absorbing whatever chemical you would apply to it. Bad idea.

Does this help?? I hope so and please do not hesitate to contact me again with any other concerns. And if you come up with a marvelous method to remove paint from terra cotta pots… would you please let me know?? Thanks! 🙂

Comments

Hi,
Just woundering whether you can further advise on removing old paint from a couple of terricaotta urns that we have just bought at auction. The paint has peeled off on much of the surface but due to the pattern on the urns it would be difficult to rub off the paint with sandpaper.Would soaking the urns for 24 hrs + help to make the paint soft enabling it to be peeled off? The paint is quite thick and has been on the urn for what looks a considerable time.

Hi Will:
I did a little searching on Google for you (and to educate myself, too) and found this website http://www.paintremover.com. Looks like MAYBE their paint strippers can also be used safely on terra cotta. I also like the fact they claim the stuff is 100% environmentally friendly and is a water based formula. 🙂

I suggest you read the sales information and then definitely call their #800 number to check on using their paint remover for your situation, and which one would be best – the “Peel Away” or the “Smart Strip”.

Other than trying that stuff, or something else similar you might find, yes … perhaps soaking in very hot water for as long as is necessary to get the paint soft; or soaking 24 hrs or more might help. I can’t tell you for sure, as I’ve never needed to do what you are asking about.

I guess my only hesitation about soaking for a long time would be the chance it might soften up the terra cotta urns, too. The surface condition of the terra cotta might be flaky or crumbly – maybe the paint is serving a “good” purpose, but then maybe your urns are really OK and have very hard surfaces. Can you tell the actual condition of the terra cotta – is there anywhere on the outside where there’s no paint?

Since I’m not there to have a hands-on look at them, just keep in mind terra cotta has different levels of hardness, depending upon the quality. And lesser-quality garden pots, as example, are thinner walled and more porous and thus are prone to “falling apart” faster over time. Long term soaking MIGHT be a concern for your terra cotta urns, and then again might NOT.

Hope this helps you. Holler if you have more questions. Good luck and let me know how it goes.